How to Clean Your Vape Tank - A Guide

Vape devices aren't maintenance-free. But that's okay because this guide on how to clean your vape tank makes maintenance easy.

Vaping has taken off in America, drawing in over9 million regular users. And why not? No coughing, no awful cigarette smell, and there's a huge variety of flavours.

Vaping always tastes fresh if you know how to clean your vape tank.

Are you new to the vaping game, or are you interested in learning the proper ways to clean your vape? Then you've stumbled on the perfect article for you! In the text below, we'll discuss some of the methods and cleaners to use for at-home care.

Our cleaning methods are safe on your device and most (excluding the cleaning machine) won't cost you more than a few dollars. Read on to learn how to clean your vape tank the right way for continuous optimal use!

Why Clean Your Vape Tank?

Yeah, switching between delicious vape flavours is an awesome perk. You can vape chocolate chip cookies one day and a sweet melon the next.

The problem is, all the flavours tend to leave a little of themselves behind after use. Soon, you could be vaping chocolate-chip-grape-mint-honey-coffee, wondering why the vapour doesn't taste at all like the guava flavour you just put in.

It's not just about removing the coil head, either. You should clean each piece of your vape thoroughly on occasion to avoid any of the lurking liquids from mingling in the background of the current flavours.

The average vape goes through a lot of environmental changes, including extreme fluctuations in the temperature as well as in humidity levels. What happens as a result is the flavoured juice settles into cracks and crevices and congeals.

Yuck, because all that old flavour settles in under your new flavours. And it's not going to taste anything like the three-course dinner gum from Wonka (but you might find yourself turning blue after tasting something like honey, licorice, and coffee).

Keep your vape working great and tasting fresh by removing all the grime and gunk from the various pieces.

Understanding the Anatomy of A Vaporiser

If you want to know how to clean your vape tank the right way, then know that it comes down to cleaning all of the separate pieces, too.

Below we'll get into the different components that make up most vape devices. From there, we'll show you exactly what you should be doing to clean them properly at home.

Naturally, there a few different types of vaporisers. There are the typical vapes and then there are the e-cigs. Cartomisers, atomisers, eGo e-cigs, mechanical mods – they're all listed under these categories, and they have similar parts, mostly.

Here are the main four components of almost any vape that you should factor into your cleaning regimen:

The Mouthpiece

Pretty self-explanatory. Anybody's mouth isn't really the cleanest place, and I doubt you brush your teeth every time before you vape. And that's all before you mention how many times you've shared your vaporiser with other people.

The Vape Tank

This is the place on the vape where you either refill cartridges or change out old ones for new e-liquids. Sometimes the vape tank is combined with the atomiser to make a single unit, but it varies from device to device.

We'll get into how to clean your vape tank in the next section.

The Coil

Located within the vape tank is the coil, which is responsible for heating up and converting the e-liquid of your choosing into a vapour. Like we mentioned above, liquids can seep down and congeal around the crevices – coil included.

The Mod

Last but not least is the mod, which contains batteries that power the whole thing and still comes with plenty of places for liquids to seep down into. Not all vape mods are the same: some have internal batteries that you charge by USB, others have replaceable batteries.

How to Clean Your Vape Tank and Other Essential Parts

You know why you should clean your vape, and you even know the different pieces you should give your attention to. Now let's teach you how to clean your vape tank and other parts with care and efficiency.

Cleaning the Heating Coil

When learning how to clean your vape tank, you might stumble across ways to also cleanyour heating coil. This isn't a bad idea, and you can save yourself money by not having to purchase new ones.

Simply use any of the various ways of cleaning we'll mention below, being careful not to soak or submerge the coil for too long. Long time exposure to cleaners (and even water) can either deteriorate your product or cause it to rust or damage.

Use your best judgment with all the components on your vape and skip out on being lazy and doing a poor cleaning job. Believe it or not, cleaning the coil will actually help to improve the taste and keep your vapour fresh.

Brush your coils to remove buildup or try fire (like a lighter or torch) to kill off any of the lingering liquid.

However, if none of the methods are cleaning it to your liking, don't be afraid to throw the coil out and get a new one. Just make sure you know where to pick one up from before you throw the old coil away.

Cleaning the Mod

Though this is not one of the important pieces that you need to clean to keep the vape fresh, it's still good to keep it clean. Be careful though, when cleaning it.

For starters, you should use something like a Q-tip or a paper towel to wipe it down. You can dip the Q-tip in rubbing alcohol to help remove gunk (or water, if you're not comfortable using or don't have any rubbing alcohol).

Make sure not to soak the mod, but simply wipe away what you can of any e-liquid that might have seeped into its cracks. Make sure to get all around the mod and do some steady work on the connection to make sure it will keep working continuously.

Cleaning the Vape Tank

The vape tank will probably be the dirtiest piece on the vape (besides the mouthpiece), so you'll want to do a thorough job for the freshest taste.

There are dozens of recommendations on how to clean your vape tank, but here's what we found:

How To Clean Your Vape Tank Using Just Water

Water is a great way to wash off some of that old gunk and congealed e-liquid that's polluting your vapour. First, you'll need to empty your tank if it isn't already. Then, you'll need to fill up a bowl or cup with warm water (or microwave it).

Rinse all around the tank in the sink and then let it soak in the warm water until the water has cooled back down to room temperature. After soaking, remove water and any grime with a paper towel or napkin and let it dry.

It's okay to use a blow dryer here to speed up the drying process if you're in a rush. Just make sure it's fully dry before you put it back into the vape for use.

Using Chemicals and Other Ingredients

If regular old water just doesn't cut it for you, there are plenty of other options that you can use, either replacing the water or adding an ingredient to it.

One of the most advised cleaning solutions is propylene glycol, which you can put into a bowl or cup and let the tank sit in, just like water. When it has soaked for a bit, take it out and let it drip-dry on a napkin or blot the glycol away.

Alternatively, you can use age-old cleaners that you'll probably find lying around your house. Some people use lemon juice or dish soap, which are both okay. You just need to make sure to wash away those ingredients after cleaning.

Vinegar is very acidic and works well as a cleaning agent. You'll want to wash off the sour smell afterward with water, though. Baking soda is also okay to mix in water to help eat away at the lingering gunk on your vape.

This might surprise you, but ethanol (or regular drinking alcohol) can also help out when learning how to clean your vape tank. And if you don't have a bottle handy, you'll probably be able to find one within a few miles (or blocks) of your house.

Using a Machine

The last method we'll cover is the most extensive and the most expensive. Ultrasonic cleaning machines are a great investment for heavy vape users. Though typically for jewelry, they'll do an excellent job of cleaning your vape tank.

There are some ultrasonic cleaners made specifically for vapes on the market today (such as the Coil Master model). Your cleaner doesn't have to be made for vapes, though. Jewelry and precious metal cleaners will do just fine.

Now You Know How to Clean Your Vape Tank

It all comes down to your cleaning preference and how clean you want your device to be. You don't have to spend a fortune, but there are cleaning options out there that might cost you more than a few bucks.

Understand your budget and expectations before you buy.

Experiment and find out which of these vape cleaning methods work best, and let us know about it in the comments below!

Looking for other professional tips from the experts? Check out our blog for articles and resources on caring for your vaporiser!